Antonella
by UnicornDevil
Summary: Antonella was an innocent soul, yet no one knew that. They only knew her as the granddaughter of a cruel man, so they thought she was just like him. What they didn't know is that she is the exact opposite.


Family is something you can never change. Sure, your parents disowning you can get you out of the house or you can run away, but there always lies a connection. A connection that you can never break, not even after death.

Within a family, you can hate every single one of them, yet you still say sickly sweet phrases like, "I love you," or, "I couldn't imagine life without you".

And although you are taught to be polite throughout your childhood from your elders, there is always that breaking point where you can't hold it in any longer and all your emotions rush out. Where you tell the truth about your feelings of everyone and let no thoughts go unsaid. It breaks family ties, although you can't particularly help that. So you might as well tell your true feelings first, instead of dragging out the lies, to hurt everyone in the end.

Although Antonella knew that she should tell her true feelings, she always shied away from telling her family her thoughts about them. She hated them all, every last one of them, even though all but one were dead. This wasn't because she was a bad person. It was because her whole family had been bad people, the only living relative the most evil of all.

She hated her grandfather with all she had. She didn't care that he was the one who cared for her and provided her housing and food. Antonella hated him, even though he seemed to love her, although Antonella wasn't sure if a creature that cruel could even know that emotion.

Whenever her grandfather spoke to her, she bit her lip, trying to keep all her internal thoughts in. Everything he said seemed to be cruel and sick, even if he hadn't meant it to. It was just the way he spoke, how he mixed his words and smirked at the end of each sentence.

Even if Antonella 's grandfather hadn't spoken in such a way, his actions prior would have been proof enough of what a horrible person he was.

Every day, since her parents died in an 'accident', she was forced to live with this beast. Even at the age of six, when she was first shipped off to his extravagant house, she knew here parents' deaths were no accidents. There were murders from her grandfather himself.

But she didn't tell him that she knew. She didn't even given a simple hint, for fear of him doing the same to her.

Every year, though, he would take her to a room, where a huge screen sat, holding all the records of the citizens of the districts. And he would show her the children in which he was intending to reap in the Hunger Games this year. This time of year always made her sick, although she would always nod and smile, her grandfather seeming to be enjoying himself.

Every year, Antonella shivered at the thought of these twenty-four kids being sent to the arena, with only one to remain victorious. All those young faces, some even her age, were to be gone, mutilated by the horrors of the arena, some unidentifiable after the torture they had endured.

So on the year of the 74th games, when she saw a young girl was spared in the poorest district, a hope filled her. Maybe the girl's volunteer will win and a true winner will emerge. A winner who is willing to save someone else's life in place of her own. A real martyr.

At the end of these games, when two victors had emerged, Antonella was shocked. Never has this happened before. She knew her grandfather was furious about this. When the games were officially over, after the interviews, he sent for Seneca to come and had him hanged in the parlor of their home. She had seen Seneca's corpse, his pale blue eyes staring into her as he hung from the ceiling. She had run from the room.

When the third Quarter Quell was arriving, she snuck into her grandfather's chambers and watched as he switched the original twist in for one that was to come a hundred years later. He switched it so the couple, who had defied him and made a joke out of the Capitol, would be reaped again. And this, of all things, frightened Antonella the most.

The games ensued and the couple, who she thought would end this all, was reaped, although the male had volunteered. This year, she was sure that there would only be one victor.

As the games went on, she rooted for the two, who had paired up with "Sex Symbol", along with two others, since one had died. She sent in money for them on a daily basis, anonymously, but she was caught one day.

Her grandfather caught her sending in thousands upon thousands of dollars to his enemies. He was, as predicted, furious. He grabbed her by the collar, ripping her satiny dress and handed her over to one of the burly guards, telling the man to take her to the dungeons.

Antonella stayed in the cold, dismal dungeon for days. She was confused as to why she was there. She knew she had to be punished, but she thought he would just kill her, just like the rest of her family. She wasn't sure why he had spared her, but she was developing some theories.

Maybe he thought that she didn't know. Her grandfather may believe that Antonella just wanted to support love and happiness, despite the odds. She scoffed at this though. Her grandfather knew that Antonella was an intelligent girl, even though she didn't say most of what was on her mind.

Only one other theory had she thought of, though. Maybe her grandfather really did love her, despite the fact that she despised him. Maybe he couldn't bare to kill her, just because he had some form of affection for her, unlike any other person. This, somehow, actually made her relax. She was sure she wouldn't die. At least not for a while.

While in the dungeons, prisoners came and went, their screaming messing with her head. Her thoughts went awry and she couldn't think straight anymore, even though she was the only prisoner who didn't go through any torture.

Surprisingly, she met people in the dungeons, friends even. She spoke with them, their crazy minds somehow passing the barriers of their situations. She was actually happy, having made friends.

And when four new prisoners arrived, she was shocked to even recognize the distorted faces of three of them. They were all victors, all important figures in Panem, yet they were to rot here in the dungeons? What had happened during the games while she was down here?

Only three of the four had been in the most recent games, yet the one who had only been in one was probably the mentally damaged. She had the cell next to Antonella 's and she would cry for days, begging for help from Finnick. Finnick? Wasn't he another victor? This woman didn't go under any torture, though, since she hadn't really done anything wrong.

Half of the star-crossed lovers was here too, going under deadly mental disfigurations at the Capitol's hands. She could hear his screams, some begging for his lover to return and some others cursing for his true love to rot away in Hell.

And the last two, were among the most brutal. Although one of them barely got tortured, the other's made up for it. The one without sharpened teeth had been abused so much, you could barely recognize her, yet she didn't peep at all. Antonella actually looked up to her, praising her for being such a martyr. She even told that woman she was brave, but the elder had just growled at her and said some very harsh words regarding her as a "demon's granddaughter".

Then one day, people came, grabbing some of the prisoners, saving them from this cruel place. Antonella cried to be let out, but no one came to her cell, despite the fact they grabbed most of the others. She knew why. Anybody could recognize her. No one even questioned why she was down her, though, having defied her grandfather. No on wondered whether she was a good person. They only thought of her as a selfish, cruel girl who mirrored after her grandfather. And this made her die inside.

Still months passed with no escape for her. New prisoners were brought in and had died, yet she remained. She wanted an end, an escape. She couldn't relate to these people anymore. She just wanted to leave, maybe even die. But she knew it was useless. Her grandfather was punishing her by making her stay in this horrible place.

One day, all the guards left the dungeon and she was left here, with the small amount of prisoners still alive. They were all confused. Never had they all been left alone here. No one moved or spoke, though, until the first set of bombs erupted.

They all cried out in shock, Antonella 's eyes widening. What was going on up there? She wanted to know. She stood up for the first time in months and fell back over onto her back, tears erupting in her eyes. She really was useless, wasn't she?

Then, the bombs came again and cries broke out. Some were crying for their loved ones and friends who hadn't been captured. The others just didn't want to hear the noise as it shook the foundations of the building.

Then, after many hours, the dungeon doors opened and a few people came in, grabbing keys and releasing the prisoners. Some cheered, some kissed, and some just ran out, wanting to see the light.

But when they passed Antonella 's cell, they looked into her eyes and backed away, skipping her. She started crying as she saw people who have committed real crimes were set free while she, an innocent person, was stuck in here, just because of who her grandfather was. Just because her eyes mirrored her grandfather's.

She was kept in there, all alone. She would eavesdrop on the guards' conversations, wanting to hear news of above. Apparently, her grandfather, along with District 13's president, was dead and a fast replacement was made to keep everything safe and calm. She even heard word that one more Hunger Games was to come, before it finally stopped. This time, though, it was for the Capitol children.

Many more months passed and a guard finally approached her door. She stared at him, confused, until he said, "You must attend the reaping."

She was let out and she stood up, her legs wobbling from not being used for months. She reeked of sweat and urine, having worn the same clothes since her first day. The grabbed her by the arms and took her out of the dungeon, into the main part of the mansion. The light burned her eyes and she started crying from the pain. No one gave her any grieving, though, as they took her outside the mansion and into the great expanse of citizens.

They took her to the seventeen year old girl section and all of her former friends shied away from her. She broke into more tears, both their betrayal and all this human contact being too much for her.

The newest president, President Paylor, rose upon the balcony and everyone became silent. "Welcome, everyone, to the reaping for the 76th hunger games. This year, Capitol children will be chosen to compete. No child will be safe, as we asked former victors to nominate a few children each to participate this year. Let us begin!"

Two bowls were brought to the table, each containing twelve each. She was telling the truth. All the tributes were already chosen, just like when her grandfather was organizing this, although this year, it was more obvious.

"Let's start with all the boys," she said. "Our first male tribute is," she paused, plucking out a name, "Maviric Barlotta, nominated by Annie Cresta."

They boy stepped forward and the reapings continued like this, telling who nominated who, although not stating the reason behind it. No volunteers came, although that was expected.

The girls' reapings started and Antonella held her breath. One after another was called, none being her name, although she didn't relax at all.

And finally, the last name was called. President Paylor grabbed the last slip of paper and said, "Antonella Snow, nominated by Johanna Mason!"

Antonella stood frozen. The one person whom she respected in prison, whom she actually praised verbally for the first time nominated her? How could this be? What had she done to her?  
When she didn't step forward, a guard prodded her in the back with his gun and she walked to the stage, tripping after each step.

She stood on the stage, in her dress stained with blood, tears, and urine, not believing what was happening.

Then, a week later, the games officially started, her being the main target for any beast in the arena. She didn't even bother trying; she knew she was going to die, whether she liked it or not. She just wandered endlessly around the arena, talking to herself. She had gone mad. She even admitted that to herself.

Every time she heard another tribute, she turned around, not even trying to run. She made no kills, not even bothering to feed herself. She didn't want to kill. She didn't want to turn into her grandfather.

She wandered aimlessly around the arena, until a giant beast landed in front of her. It looked to be like a snake, but when she looked into its eyes, they were exactly like her grandfather's. Exactly like her own.

She welcomed death as an old friend, with arms opened and eyes closed, so she wouldn't see her own eyes mirrored back.

And on that very night, she died as an innocent girl, who died for no reason. She had supported the people her grandfather was against and she even tried to cheer up one of them, only to have the very same person nominate her for her place in death.

And yet, she was proud. She liked the way she had died, so unlike her grandfather. She was glad to have died pure, not killing a single soul. She died as a pure, beautiful soul, yet no one knew her as that.

They only knew her as President Snow's Granddaughter.


End file.
